My Little Old Man Has Calicivirus Options

[Ken Albin]

My 13 year old Sebastian has had a history of stomatitis. Most of his teeth have been removed over the years. A month ago his eating tapered off and his stomach was bloated. Our vet ran him through the usual xrays and then an ultrasound and tentatively diagnosed IBD or continued stomatitis. His symptoms didn't quite fit either of these completely so he went to a specialist in internal medicine. More xrays showed a developing lung infection. By this time he was wheezing. They put him on a heavy course of IV antibiotics there. They also sent off a full set of blood cultures and did another ultrasound. They ruled out pancreatitis and IBD. A throat xray shoed a potential blockage so they did an endoscopic procedure and found a mass in his thymus gland that was calcified. They sent off samples of the mass, which turned out not to be blocking anything. They also found a lot of mucus in the lungs and sent off a sample for a complete bacterial workup.

The results all came in and showed pneumonia in the lungs. There were three germs, one of which was resistant to most antibiotics. From the tests the germs all were sensitive to Zeniquin antibiotic so they switched him to that. They also found the rear of the mouth was very inflamed and the results came back positive for calicivirus. There isn't a cure for that virus. It was probably picked up years ago when he was feral and though he has been vaccinated for it for years it flared up. This led to a dilemma. Steroids were the best choice to reduce the mouth inflammation but they might reduce the effectiveness of the lung antibiotic. The specialist and my vet jointly decided to give a series of short acting steroids and to raise the antibiotic level. They also started him on Buprenex narcotic for the mouth pain.

Sebastian has been on the antibiotic for 1 1/2 weeks now. New xrays show a reduction in the lung congestion of about 50%. He was taken off of steroids and pain med since his mouth now looks better and he is eating more on his own. His mouth still bothers him some so he eats very soft foods and he occasionally needs an appetite pill to spur him to eat. He is more feisty at the vet now so I know he feels better. I have been loving on him a lot. He stays on the antibiotic for 2 more weeks.

Here is my little old man now. He is always tired after each vet trip and is resting. He is slowly getting better now but the calicivirus will be an ongoing concern that will have to be treated with steroids when necessary. It has been a very long and expensive recovery but he is worth every penny. He is our little tough guy who doesn't realize he is only 6 pounds. I knew if spirit could help pull him through he would be fine but we had to go to extremes this time.

Ken Albin

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[Flossie's Mom]

Boy oh boy Ken it seems you have bad news, good news on an ongoing rollercoaster!

But I guess with all the cats you have brought into your home that is the way it will be for you. You are truly one of a kind.

Our daughter is trying to find homes for 3 kittens born in the back of the business she works for now. The boss has given her the weekend to find homes & then they have to go! She has inquires but nothing solid and insists on meeting the people & assuring good homes, spay & neuter & vet care. Last resort will be a no kill shelter/rescue.

Our thoughts are with you and Sebastian. I know you do exactly what is best for all the kitties that have been blessed enough to be in your care and they return your care with unconditional love.

Thoughts & prayers.... Ginger